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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · roll · kid · patient · chest · mark · stem · board

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. stem — to come from
  5. chest — of your body
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mark — a trace
  9. kid — child
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. board — to get on
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mark — a grade
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chest — a box
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com